New and lost!

I got diagnosed type 2 on Monday, and I'm completely lost! It was like a smack in the head, and I'm still asking myself what goes wrong?

I'm 35 yo mom of two wonderful little boys and no one in my family have/had diabetes! I'm 5.1ft and 132lbs, I know that I have to loose some weight but nothing drastic! I try to keep a healthy diet for my family and I never been diagnosed as a pre-diabetic… So what's the problem?!?

I don't know what to do and how to do! My life is upside down and all what my doctor said that I have diabetes type 2 and I have to deal with it. He has put me on 500mg metformin twice a day. He said that I need to change my diet, exercise, loose weight and if I have questions about it there is a lot of websites or I can call him! I felt so bad since my visit, it's like it's my own fault if I have diabetes I can't stop crying because I don't even know where to start. My husband is overwhelmed, he's trying his best to make me feel better but it's just difficult for me!

For my family and for me I don't want to be stuck in this feeling, and I need help to move on and bring my life back on the rails!

30 replies

Dido- I completely feel where you are coming from. I have ALL of the same feelings. I just got diagnosed on 3.24.14. Wish i could help but I can only sympathize since I too am completely lost and frustrated. Good luck. We will figure this out together.

Sarah being frustrated is not going to help you. The first thing to do is call the doctors office and ask them to schedule you to see a diabetes educator and nutritionist. You may be able to find a diabetes education class on your own. Where I live most of them are free.

You have to take responsibility for your diabetes and you have to take responsibility for your health care. I do not take any medical information from anyone but my doctors. He/she is the only one who knows your entire medical history. You have to self educate and learn to weed out truth from fiction. There are a lot of things on the market that say it will cure diabetes. There is no cure for diabetes yet, so don't fall for them.

Diabetes is different for everyone. What works for you might not work for anyone else. Stress and denial is not good for diabetics. People who deny they have it take longer to get it under control. Stress will mess with your blood sugar. Keep an open line of communication with your medical team. Make a list of questions and take them with you and get the answers.

Don't be afraid to try new foods. Test after you eat to find out how they effect your blood sugar. Exercise helps with managing blood sugar and weight. It isn't as hard as you think it is. When you get frustrated, focus the energy on something else. You are not going to be good as some of us overnight. You have to have patience and determination and not let the ups and downs get you down.

Joyce- I was told over the phone that I have diabetes. My a1c was 6.8. To try diet and exercise and we would check back in 3 months. If not better then my Dr would send me to a diabetic counselor. That's all the information I was given. I wasn't given any direction. Very frustrating so I am trying to figure it out on my own. Sarah

Doctors are not diabetes educators or nutritionist. most don't know beyond what diabetes is.unless it is their specialty.

Many of us figured it out on our own. Go on line and look for a diabetes education class in your area. If it is free take the class. You don't need your doctor for anything you can learn for free. Check Senior Centers and see if they are advertising free classes. Go to health fairs and collect information. At 6.8 you more than likely can control it with diet and exercise. I was at 6.5 and tested every other day but I know what I am doing.

Go to http://www.diabetesclasses.com/ and look for a diabetes educator in your stare it will list everyone they know of. Go to a book store and buy a book on carb counting and make sure it list the foods with the carbs. It will come in handy. Go on You Tube (my second home for everything) and type in Carbohydrate counting and watch the videos. Then type in How to read food labels and watch those.

Tell your doctor you want to go to a diabetes counselor now and make it clear that this is your health you are discussing. Also ask him how many carbs per meal/day you can have. it will make meal planning much easier. Don't let them brush you off. As I said you have to advocate for yourself and if that means being assertive do so. No one is going to fight to keep you as healthy as possible but you. I tell people there isn't anyone on earth who is going to fight harder than you to save your life.

I am 42 and just got diagnosed with type 2. My a1c 6.6. My md gave me the news in January 2014. MD told me to control with diet and exercise first otherwise she will start me on metformin. I hate taking medications so I drastically reduced my carb intake and went from 138lbs to 128 lbs in first 3 weeks. Now I have reached a plateau and can't lose anymore weight. I am going to start exercise soon but don't know which exercise is best for losing weight. Help feel totally lost and confused. I am vegetarian but I eat eggs for high protein breakfast. My question is I am trying to avoid bread until I lose 10 more lbs. once I do lose weight, will my body put the weight back on when I start eating bread slowly? I constantly feel tired without breads and rice. Any advice?

I still remember the day I was told that I have type 2 diabetes. It was June of 2008. I was out of town on a business trip and my doctors office called me to come in the next morning. I told them I couldn't and asked what was going on so they tell me that my blood sugar was 300. I googled diabetes and knew right away that I was paying the price for too many years of not taking care of myself. I called my wife and she acted like it was no big deal. Be thankful for the support of your husband because that is all any of us need.

I have had a lot of changes in my life since that day. One of which is I have made a more concerted effort to exercise. To show the diabetes who is boss I have done 3 marathons, 6 half marathons and over 10 triathlons since my diagnosis. This year I have another half marathon already planned along with 6 more triathlons. The other major change is in nutrition. I treat food more as what it was truly meant to be, fuel. I fuel myself for the occasion and pay the price when I don't do it right. It's a constant learning process, but one that if you work hard you can feel as normal and healthy as anyone else. Feel free to ask me any questions and I will be glad to offer my opinions.

as there is a genetic component to diabetes (they believe) that you can start teaching your boys good nutrition at a young age is a blessing. I live with my son and his 2 young sons (5 and 2) and they both understand about diabetes (age appropriate of course) and nutrition … both love kale and okra ;)

Thanks Jack, Chopstix, Kaydoo and all of you. All your messages really helped me to feel better and not alone. I'm learning day by day how to manage my new life it's not easy but yes I can do it I have to! And with your help it's better!

I started running 2days ago, and i'm enjoying this time I spend with my self doing something I like to, yesterday it was raining and I had to stop for a bit, so I went to a toy store and bought toys for my boys to let them know that mommy is sorry for being easily upset (I have to control myself more than before) we've got a great time playing together and I knew now that except my "nutrition", my life will not change and our love is going bigger every day.

Sign up for email information and recipes at dlife.com. The next time you are in a grocery store, Target or Wal-Mart look in the magazine section for Diabetic Living. That is the only magazine I read. Sometimes I find the diabetic recipe books that are at checkout. They have all kinds of recipes and tips.

In a sense your doctor is correct. You are the only one who can deal with it, with the doctors assistance. Things will get better. Always remember, Diabetes is only difficult if you choose to make it difficult.

The best thing to do is to start self educating. Ask your doctor for a referral to a diabetes educator and a nutritionist. Where I live, many of the the diabetes education classes are free. Find out if you have community health clinics or Senior Citizen Centers. They have free classes and you don't have to be a Senior Citizen to attend at least you don't have to be here.

It is not your fault you have diabetes. Blaming yourself is not going to make things easy and it is not going to change the fact that you are now a diabetic. The day I was diagnosed, a friend who I didn't know was diabetic said. So what you are diabetic. I have been diabetic for 10 years. What are you going to do about it? The very next day I started researching diabetes. I made a list of questions for my doctor. He answered them.

Start a food journal, list everything you eat for every meal and test your blood sugar after every meal, take it with you to the nutritionist. She will help you make meal plans an help you with foods you can eat. Your family can eat the same meals you eat. The only difference is that you have to watch the carbs.

I understand that you are overwhelmed. Changing the foods you eat isn't going to be easy. Diabetes is your responsibility to take care of. You can do it. You can still enjoy all the things you did prior to being diagnosed. You have to have patience and keep going through highs and lows. Learn to carry snacks with you where ever you go. It can be nuts, string cheese, a container of low fat yogurt, graham crackers and cheese. I carry real hard candy for times when I might feel low or you can carry glucose tablets.

I have diabetes, it does not have me and I control my diabetes, it does not control me. Scroll through the discussions on the site and read them. You will learn a lot. Do something special for you and only you. Then give your husband a hug and tell him you can do this. Let him know his support is appreciated and have him go to the diabetes educator with you and to the nutritionist. You can learn together. Besides he can benefit from eating healthier and you both will have more energy to play with and raise your sons. You can do this just like all of us. Good Luck to you.

Welcome and to the best of my knowledge you have come to one of the best sites. I'm 5 feet 7 and when I was first diagnosed I weighed 250 pounds. Last year(2013) in February I had a heart attack and was weighing 210. April I had bypass and my weight dropped down to 180. What a way to lose weight! By the way, I was an over the road truck driver. Every thing I have learned about being diabetic I have had to learn on my own. I even started teaching other drivers before I was retired by the Government. Yes, I was put on disability in November. They said my EKG showed old heart damage I did not about. I walk about every other day, weather permitting of course. Please take care yourself and watch what you eat. Some things it may be when you also. This past summer I started doing a 12 hour fast everyday and my blood glucose BG numbers most of the time range from the mid 90s to the low 100s. I was put on insulin while in the hospital and as of August I am off all medications but one blood pressure pill twice a day and my weight is holding between 190 and 195. Remember, if you have any questions I am sure there is somebody here that can help. You will find the most caring and kind people here…

I just got diagnosed two so I understand how upset you must be right now it can be a little overwhelming is a lot of changes you need to make in your life whether not you want to make them I know I sure didn't I never been overweight so I really didn't understand where this came from. The one thing that I've been really angry about reading online is a lot of people that claim that type two diabetes can be cured. it can't be cured your pancreas is basically giving out you can need a low-carb diet count carbs lose weight exercise but you're always going to be careful the rest of your life maybe you won't need to take insulin and I sincerely hope that you don't I'm trying things out with Metformin after a couple of weeks it hasn't been really effective for me but I am holding out hopeThis is been a great website for me to find the people are really really nice on here and I felt so much better since I joined

There really isn't much differnce in the meters at all, except for some bells and whistles (that I never use). There all operate the same and use the same science. So get the one that is the cheapest, even the Wal-Mart one.

It is my belief, D, that while there may be more accurate meters they all do basicly the same job for you. So do you prefer a meter that is more accurate but the strips cost a lot, or a meter which does the basic job for you but the strips cost less.

Sometimes, when one has medical insurance, the insurance company has a preferred meter. So I would recommend asking your health insurance company and find out what they will pay for. Then have your Dr write out a Rx for the meter and strips so the ins co. will pay for it. Ask Dr to write the Rx for at least 4 strips per day. Strips are the biggest expense of running a glucometer. I sent you the proceedure to determine what foods play nice with your metabolism. That does seem to consume a lot of strips and I would suspect the ins. co would object to that many strips in a month. So should you decide to follow that plan you may want to buy extra strips, because they do go fast, and the few strips which typically come with the meter (generally 10 to 15) are used up in a flash.

Your doctor is right there are thousands of websites on line. But he/she should have sent you to a diabetic educator. That helped me more than anything my doctor did for me. Check out the information here on Diabetic Connect. Also look at dLife.com they have lots of good information as well. God bless you my friend. Keep coming back here it's good to have other people who are diabetics in your life.

Stick with this website. My Dr. didn't give me much either when I was diagonosed in Dec. '13. I insisted she prescribe a meter and strips for me. My meter has become my best friend. Although it's kind of a love/hate thing! This site and the people on here are amazing and a wealth of information. READ, READ READ. Good luck Dido. You can do this.

Thanks to all of you for your support, it means a lot for me! I know that I have to accept the idea but it's just hard because it's new! And I'm always thinking of my boys (4 and 2 yo) and how I can still be a good mother for them, I know I shouldn't but thinks are what they are!

Anyway, I will take an appointment with an endocrinologist and hope he'll be more helpful than my family doctor!

It is hardest when it's new, and sometimes even when you aren't new any more it can get to you. That's why I am so glad for this DC forum. We can vent our complaints, share our good and bad times, and get support from others who understand because we all go through it. Hang in there it does get better emotionally. Remember you are not alone. God Bless.

I know how you feel, I had that feeling in late 2008 when I was diagnosed. I was only 35 lbs overweight, some might say 30 lbs. anyway, it truly does get better emotionally, you will learn what you need to do and you must be diligent with it. It is such a shock and you are nervous and I know for myself, I beat myself up some, oh if I had just lost that weight when it started creeping up, if only I had exercised earlier, and not stopped years before, etc. but I got out of that. check check several times per day, just about the best thing you can do, when you wake up, 2 hours after every meal and snack, two snacks a day are ideal half way between b'fast and lunch and lunch and supper. later on, maybe after a few weeks or so, when you pretty well know how things are and what you can and can not eat, or your portion sizes, maybe check randomly like an hour after eating to see what the numbers are then. always check before and after exercise, always eat something with protein, and low carb before exercise. there is so much more I could say, but one more thing, make sure you go to diabetes classes, to learn from diabetes educators, this is extremely important. You will have all kinds of literature to refer back to. I did this very early on and so glad I did. because there is a lot of misinformation out there.

Hi Dido, I know what mean when you say completely lost. That is exactly how I felt when I was diagnosed approx. 5 years ago. I am also 5 ft 1 and 1/2 tall and I just lost 3 lbs so I am also 132 lbs. I still have a ways to go, hopefully 10 lbs. more. I am 62 years old, wow I can't believe I am that old. There is several diabetic magazines, and books you can get. I hope you ask your doctor for some literature, and if there are any diabetic educators, classes and/or dieticians in your area. Also as others said this site has so much info on diabetes, and lots of wonderful people who share their experiences, and give you encouragement. You should also share what you learn with your family so they can understand what's going on and help. I started by taking one day at a time and reading everything I could get my hands on. Prayers for you and your family.

Your situation sounds very familiar…I got diagnosed this past July and have learned so much already on this site! Anyways like you, this caught me as a surprise as I was never even showing signs of prediabetic…( according to my health screenings) I'm in my 30s and was a bit overweight but my family at home is very overwhelmed with me, they can't accept my diagnosis as I am barely doing now(8 months later) I was such an emotional wreck but I am feeling much better as time goes on :) I was prescribed Metformin the first month I was diagnosed butSince my diagnosis I have an A1c of 5.4 (dropped from 11) . I am now managing on diet and exercise. It will get better emotionally after you get over the shock of it :) and please stick around as this site has been a wealth of information for me! The people here are AWESOME!!! ;)

Hey there! I received my type 2 diagnosis this past Saturday from my GP. Definitely lost and scared too! We're going the "diet and weight loss" approach since my #s are right on the cusp. He's set me up with an educator on Friday, a dietician 2 else later and some group classes.

Like I said, it's new and scary but with God's help and friends and family it'll be ok, we'll as ok as it can be :o)

Welcome to the club.take a deep breath and relax. you aren't in this alone … there is a whole community of diabetics willing (and able) to offer assistance.I was in your position when first diagnosed … take two of these a day, lose weight and eat a low carb, healthy diet. It's taken a few years, but I am getting control of this. there is a wealth of info on the web, but I have found that many times fellow diabetics can be your best source. Are you aware of the term YMMV (your mileage may vary)? That is something you need to keep in mind as diabetes is a very "personal" disease. What works for me or James may not work (the same) for you.Don't panic … you're off to a good start coming here.please … remember … there are no stupid questions. feel free to ask what ever pops into your mind.

Howdy Didoand WELCOME to Diabetic connect! Sorry you qualify for this shindig, but since you do, I am glad you found us!

First of all please take a deep breath. This is the first day of your "new normal" as you really cannot go back to being like you were. If you do you will only make your diabetes worse. (it is called "denial" {no, not the river in Egypt} and I myself was in it for a quite a while and am now suffering the consequenses of being ignoring my diabetes)

This is a lifelong thing and you need to treat, not as a sprint, but an ultramarathon where one needs to pace themselves. Or as one of my friends used to say in such situations "baby steps, take baby steps". As long as you are making forward progress in learning about your Type 2 diabetes (T2D) day by day. You are embarking on a lifelong learning about diabetes in general and how your body works in particular. I have had T2D since 1995 and I still learn something every day.

Praying God's best for you and yours

James Baker

PS: I would invite you to be my friend, but due to connectivity issues I am unable to access that part of the website, so If you would be so kind to request my friendship I would be apreciated.

Well, in my opinion the first thing that I would do is find an Endocrinologist that is connected with a good diabetes clinic.They (the diabetes clinic) will more than likely steer you in a better direction than this doctor is, and make life seem less dismal too.Yea, it is tough in the beginning, but (like everybody else will tell you) it really does get better, so don't worry too much about it, just enjoy the ride.I have been type 1 for 39 years now, and things can be very different compared to type 2's, but if there was a way I could go back and change things in my life I don't think I would really change much at all, because for me life is good.